


Hide and Seek

by Ruenis



Series: Continue? [1]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spirits, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8438962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruenis/pseuds/Ruenis
Summary: It is rather hard to keep quiet when being chased.





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Super duper adorable art](http://rodentartinkyl.tumblr.com/post/152648982117/another-fanart-for-my-halloween-week-this-one-is) of Inaho and Slaine in the tree, by [Iinkyl!](http://rodentartinkyl.tumblr.com/) ❤

Pressing his hands to his lips, Inaho tries to muffle his gasps as best he can, pressing his back against the tree's hollow inside, leaves crackling noisily under his feet, crackling with each movement he makes.. His chest is practically heaving and he cannot help but breathe deeply between stray gasps in spite of all of his attempts to calm his heart; his heart is racing in his chest, beating loudly in his ears, pumping erratically.. this is the fastest he has had to run in awhile. He is not used to such strenuous labour.

“Inaho?” a voice calls, echoey in the forest, sing-songy, childish.. It is familiar, _extremely_ familiar, and the brunet only swallows when he hears it, going completely still. “Inaho, _where are you_?” it calls, still soft, childish..

Inaho is almost tempted to answer. Almost. It is in his nature to respond when called, after all, especially when they call so nicely like that..

“I'm going to find you, you know! I'm very good at this game!” the voice calls, and it is a bit higher now, more.. excited, would be the word.

 _You love this game,_ Inaho recalls, managing to open his eyes and look between the gaps in the leaves that cover the entrance to the tree's hollow; the leaves are dyed orange, red, brown, and dark, dark shades of green, all the colours of autumn.. and with Inaho's current clothing, dyed red, it would be hard for someone to spot him at a glance. He freezes up all over again when he hears footsteps nearby, leaves crunching under feet, crunching loudly in the empty forest.. The trees here have all shed their leaves, save for the willows, creating a sort of.. _lonely_ atmosphere, in the dying light.

“Inaho?” The voice is a bit softer now, but much closer, less echoey.

_I want to win this game._

More footsteps, leaves crackling, snapping like twigs, and Inaho hears the faint, faint sound of a familiar bell accompanying the steps, now. They are closer, much, much closer, and Inaho wonders if his breathing will give him away. Perhaps he should stop that?

 _I can't,_ he realises, still pressing his hands to his lips in an attempt to muffle himself; his heart is still stressed, still forcing him to try and breathe deeply in an attempt to stabilise his heartbeat, but with each breath he takes he feels as if he may be discovered at any moment.. –

“Ahah!”

Inaho very nearly jumps when the leaves are abruptly pushed away, nearly, but he manages to stay still under a familiar boy's gaze. “Slaine,” he breathes, pulling his hands away, “You found me.” He presses his hands against the ground, and the leaves crackle inside here, too, louder in the hollow, soft and fragile under his small hands.

“Mm. I win,” Slaine says, beaming; his eyes are bright, bright still in the dying light, especially brighter in the tree's dark hollow, and their warm, familiar, blue-green glow is calming, in a way. The bell earrings on his ears chime quietly as he moves, the ball inside clamouring, and the leaves still crunch under his sandaled feet.

Heartbeat gradually coming to a slow, the brown haired child manages a smile as he gazes at his playmate, and he finds himself able to relax now, mental stress gone, but he is still breathing deeply, trying to fill his lungs with the oxygen he had deprived them when he had ran away from the other. He stays still and quiet as Slaine crawls into the hollow with him, says nothing when the blond happily plops down beside him and laces their fingers together, still beaming, still lit up, _glowing._ He likes the way Slaine's eyes look when he is happy; they remind him of sparkling gems, crystallised joy.

“I win,” Slaine says again, very gently squeezing Inaho's hand, and his hand feels familiar against Inaho's own, familiar and warm, just like his smile. “You ran away really fast,” he says, seeming both surprised and pleased at the fact, “I could hear, even with my eyes closed. The leaves crunched under your sandals.”

“The leaves crunch under yours, too,” Inaho points out innocently, secretly happy that Slaine seems pleased with the way their game turned out.

The blond only nods at that, and the bells chime softly with his movements, softly but louder in their small, hidden hollow. “Are.. you okay, Inaho..? You're all red..” he says after a moment, and his voice is tinged with worry, now.

“Humans don't have unlimited stamina like you do,” Inaho whispers, and his voice comes out a bit shaky, sort of breathless. He tries to amend the unintentional mishap, wanting to erase his playmate's worries, “I'm okay, Slaine.”

“You.. don't?” Slaine asks, and his grip on Inaho's hand does not slacken. “You're okay? Really? Promise?”

Inaho shakes his head a bit, “We don't.” He does not mind the physical contact – in fact, he is more than happy to allow the blond to touch him, especially given.. He shakes his head again and smiles a bit this time, “I'm okay, really.”

Slaine makes a face at that, looking a bit unhappy, but not worried anymore. “I wish you did,” he says, and he is still warm, still comforting even now that his smile has disappeared, “Because then, we could play together as much as we wanted. I'd never have to leave.” His thumb is warm against Inaho's palm, and when he moves a bit closer, Inaho can hear the bell again, chiming softly, sort of like a wind chime.

Yes, just like a wind chime. Yuki says the wind chimes around their home ring when spirits are near.

Inaho likes the sound just as much as he likes Slaine's presence and voice. “I wish I did, too,” he murmurs, and he means it; blunt and blunter, Yuki calls it. His way of speaking is straight to the point, according to her, and their caretakers at the shrine say it is a somewhat odd trait in a child, but he does not care. Being honest is a good thing, after all, and he is _always_ honest with Slaine, whom has come to be a close friend.

They go quiet after that, the silence not awkward, not uneasy – each of them has grown used to the other over the year, and spending each day playing in the forest has become a nice pastime. _“But the forest is scary!”_ the shrine caretakers say, _“Please be careful! There could be dangerous spirits there!”_

So they say, but Slaine is so kind, so warm, and so _lonely_. Inaho can see just how _lonely_ Slaine gets when he comes to see him, the way his eyes light up, the way he smiles, he can hear it in Slaine's voice when he greets him, when he has to say goodbye..

He does not want Slaine to be lonely.

“.. hey, Inaho,” Slaine says after a moment, and his own tone is softer as he continues to rub Inaho's palm, “We'll.. always be friends, won't we?”

“Yes,” Inaho says instantly – if friendship is to be measured by the amount of time people spend with each other and how they make each other feel, then he is sure that Slaine will remain a definite friend in the long run, along with all of his other friends at the shrine. He would be happy if Slaine could meet them, one day, but Slaine cannot get very close to the shrine, or he will disappear..

He does not want Slaine to disappear.

“Slaine,” Inaho calls, causing the blond to lift his head a bit, “When we grow up, you can stay with me and Yuki-nee. We'll find somewhere you won't disappear.”

The blond boy lights up, blue-green eyes widening in glee; they still sort of glow, faintly, and the bells chime again softly, quietly when he throws his arms around Inaho's neck, ecstatic. “Thank you..” he whispers, and Inaho can feel him starting to shake, quiet sobs caught in Slaine's throat, sobs that echo in the hollow, echo with the bells that still chime, “Thank you, Inaho..”

“.. you're welcome, Slaine,” Inaho whispers back, gently hugging the other back as best he can; Slaine is still tangible in his arms, still warm and comforting in the dying light.

Slaine is still warm, still tangible..

.. because today is special, special just for people like Slaine.

“Slaine..?” Inaho calls, and his playmate pulls away a bit, gently rubbing the tears from his eyes, still looking so relieved and happy and _grateful_. “Happy Halloween,” he says quietly, and Slaine offers him a warm smile, nodding a bit.

“Happy Halloween, Inaho. Thank you for playing with me.”

Inaho beams at that, and Slaine squeezes his hand again, comforting, gentle, “I'll stay here until the sun sets, and I'll come and see you again tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Inaho nods – _because even though we can't touch normally, you're still my friend._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it!! ;; And to those who don't, I hope you had a very fine day!


End file.
